Lesson Plan - Secrets of the Warrior King

Build Knowledge and Vocabulary

Before students watch “The Story of the Terra Cotta Warriors,” prepare them to complete the following 3-2-1 task: Record three interesting facts, take notes about two important dates, and come up with one question you have. Watch the video and discuss responses. Then use the Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach domain-specific terms.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. As students read, direct them to underline, highlight, or jot down the central idea of each section.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• Summarize the section “The Boy King.” (Summarizing)
When Zhao Zheng was born in 259 B.C., China was made up of seven states. After he became king of one of those states at age 13, he built a huge army. In 221 B.C., he conquered and united the states and named himself Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor.

• What were some of Qin Shi Huangdi’s accomplishments? Why does the author say he had “a dark side”? (Key Details)
Qin set up systems of currency, measurement, and writing. He had workers build roads and part of the Great Wall. However, he had his critics killed and destroyed books to erase records.

• What does the author mean when she says “perhaps Qin did achieve immortality after all”? (Making Meaning)
She means that Qin did achieve his goal of living forever because his legacy and story live on today. His army of clay warriors remains, and his system of writing laid the foundation for the Chinese characters used today.

Analyze Primary Sources

Have students use the Skill Builder Primary Source: Analyze Images to analyze photos of the terra-cotta warriors.

Use Direction and Distance

Have students answer the questions about the map on page 9 independently or in groups. Review answers. Use the Direction and Distance lesson from our Map Skills Boot Camp to give students more practice. The full curriculum is available at junior.scholastic.com/mapskills.

Assess Comprehension

Use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.